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Saba Ismail, co-founder of Aware Girls with sister Gulalai, addresses women at a community event in Mardan. — Photo courtesy: The Guardian

PESHAWAR: The work of the remarkable women known as Aware Girls to counter the extremism of the Taliban would be dangerous even if they weren't based in Peshawar, a city that feels as if it’s under siege

In a hotel room in Peshawar, in secret, Gulalai Ismail is giving a lecture to a group of men and women on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The 29-year-old wears a black leather jacket, rather than the customary burqa, and uses a flipchart as she explains the Declaration’s clauses on freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial.

The 30 delegates in the room have travelled here from as far afield as Chitral, South Waziristan and Afghanistan.

When Ismail has finished, they take turns to talk about the human rights abuses that they’ve witnessed: acts of mob justice and lynchings, or summary executions by Islamist extremists.

Four people act out the killing of a journalist by the Taliban.

They also share ideas for promoting peace. One man explains how he persuaded shopkeepers to stop selling toy guns to children in a bazaar.

A young woman describes her successful campaign at the University of Malakand for female students to be allowed to wear colourful headscarves, instead of just black.

These brave young people belong to a network of about 300 activists from across northern Pakistan who peacefully oppose the Taliban.

Peshawar is their headquarters, the safest place for them to meet and attend workshops on human rights.

Gulalai leads many of the sessions. A determined and fearless Pashtun woman, she heads the organisation that makes all this happen: Aware Girls.

Peshawar, Pakistan, a city of 3.3 million people that has been deeply affected by terrorism. — Photo courtesy: The Guardian

Aware Girls was founded in 2002 and operates in the face of severe violence, not just in Peshawar but also in Pakistan’s tribal areas and other troubled parts of the country.

It trains young women on their rights – and, through its Youth Peace Network, makes efforts to encourage more women into politics – who then try to stop their peers being radicalised, leaving Peshawar for villages and towns where they try to dissuade others from joining extremist groups.

In Peshawar, this is highly dangerous work – not least because Aware Girls is run mainly by women.

One of its attendees in 2011 was Malala Yousafzai, whose own efforts on behalf of women’s education earned her a bullet to the head from the Taliban at the age of 15.

She survived and went on to win the Nobel peace prize. Gulalai says her friend is now a symbol of honour for the organisation.

"Violent attacks are happening to many women in Pakistan, so I was happy Malala was able to highlight the issue."

Peshawar is a dangerous place at the best of times.

A sprawling, dusty metropolis of around 3.3 million people, it is the capital of the north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, bordering Afghanistan near the Khyber Pass.

Everyone here has been affected by terrorism. The city feels as if it’s under siege.

Armed soldiers nervously man checkpoints on main roads, while government buildings resemble fortresses, protected by guns and razor wire.

The city is regularly rocked by suicide bomb attacks and the security situation remains desperate.

Last December, one atrocity particularly appalled the world, when the group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan murdered 132 children and 18 adults in a school.

It was the worst terrorist act in Pakistan’s history, but there have been several other mass killings.

Aware Girls estimates that around 4,000 people in the province have been murdered or maimed by terrorists since 2010.

The group believes the best way to combat terrorism is with education.

Gulalai and her sister, Saba, founded it in 2002 when they were still teenagers, their initial goal to advance women’s rights in a city where many females suffer appalling discrimination.

Taheer and Irum Aneez Malik, pictured here with their 12-year-old daughter Kashuf and 10-year-old nephew Hashir, mourn the loss of their 14-year-old son Hammad who was shot dead at school. — Photo courtesy: The Guardian

Since 2010, Aware Girls has also focused on its growing peace network, which stretches out from its Peshawar base to rural Taliban strongholds.

Last year, 223 activists reached almost 4,000 "at risk" young people.

At the last national elections, in 2013, Aware Girls led all-female teams of polling station monitors, to ensure women were allowed to vote freely and without intimidation.

One of Saba’s projects has been to investigate the psychological impact of terrorism on the city of Peshawar.

According to her study, 84 per cent of survivors of bombings said they were too frightened to leave their homes, while 66pc of families reported suffering psychological problems.

Children were too scared to attend school due to constant suicide attacks. Domestic violence was rising because men who’d lost their homes or jobs were assaulting their wives and daughters.

Peshawar’s economy has suffered greatly over the years, and many women – who often suffer disproportionately due to their second-class status in Pakistani society – said they were living hand to mouth.

"Terrorism has destroyed houses, properties, businesses and livelihoods. Children are frightened and weep. Women have lost hope," says Saba.

But while terrorism casts a dark shadow over Peshawar, there remains hope that education and dialogue can, over time, change entrenched attitudes.

Jawad Ullahkhan, 21, has been involved with Aware Girls for two years. He is from Mingora, the largest city in Swat district, and the place where he saw his first decapitated corpse.

Students of the Jamia Gasmia, a militant religious school in Dhodhdr. — Photo courtesy: The Guardian

"The Taliban would bring their victims to a place we called Blood Choke (Green Square) and behead them. They would leave them there for days. The first time I saw a body strung up, I could not believe it. I remember I was walking towards Blood Choke listening to music. I had my hood up so nobody would see my earphones, as the Taliban had banned music. I was in shock for days as I had never seen such things. It was so cruel. I can still smell the blood."

As he relates the story, Ullahkhan’s eyes widen as if he’s back in the moment.

But since attending meetings in Peshawar, he has recruited 15 people to promote peace in Mingora: they try to prevent radicalisation through theatre, and engage with students from extremist madrasas in order to challenge stereotypes and bigotry.

It’s difficult to get anything done in a city as risky as Peshawar.

Aware Girls work in schools and mosques, and offer one-to-one counselling that can last for weeks in the hope that a young person changes their views – but they are forced to hold their community meetings by invitation only, in hotel rooms protected by armed guards, where they know the owners and staff.

Delegates suspect they are being monitored by ISI, Pakistan’s secret police. Last spring, Gulalai had a lucky escape when lost luggage after a flight meant she wasn’t at home in Peshawar when four armed men turned up at her door.

"They claimed to be security officers who had come to search our home," Gulalai says. "They tried to enter forcefully but my father refused to open the door. They were shouting and making threats. They started shooting guns into the air. I thought that sooner or later I’d be attacked, but I never thought it would happen to my family."

Girls recite the Qur’an at Jaama-Habibya school, where they are taught separately from the older boys. — Photo courtesy: The Guardian

She doesn't know who the gunmen were: Taliban, Pakistan’s security services, or even a criminal gang trying to kidnap her for ransom. "We cannot trust anyone," she says.

Nevertheless, as a city that offers at least a modicum of anonymity, Peshawar remains their best bet to fight the Taliban by sowing the seeds of education – work that has won Gulalai the 2014 International Humanist of the Year award and the Commonwealth Youth Award for Asia, and Saba the 2013 Democracy award of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED); both women were named that year in Foreign Policy’s list of "leading global thinkers."

"There were so many human rights violations, such as rape and murder, happening to women in our community, but no platforms for women to raise their voices," Saba says.

"We want women to have equal rights to justice, legal support, financial resources and access to education and other social services."

This article was originally published on The Guardian and has been reproduced with permission.

On DawnNews

Comments (33) Closed

I think the women will do better job than men.... for what ever reasons men have failed miserably...If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

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haider

Oct 14, 2015 04:24pm

Thank God, the battle against worshippers of hate is not lost, yet.

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Harmony-1

Oct 14, 2015 04:25pm

Very encouraging to see this good work by Aware Girls to counter the extremism of the Taliban, promoting peace and fighting for women's rights.

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Truth

Oct 14, 2015 04:40pm

Well done Aware Girls.

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M.Saeed

Oct 14, 2015 04:44pm

It is heartening to see our young women have started their noble struggle against huge injustice being forced against our women.

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Dr Mazhar

Oct 14, 2015 04:55pm

Real brave women, they deserve huge appreciation and support like Malala, but let them do their job.

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Parvez

Oct 14, 2015 05:10pm

@khanm Amazing comment.....so, so true.

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hari

Oct 14, 2015 05:12pm

Brave women, salute thee.

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Mohammed

Oct 14, 2015 05:24pm

My city was not like this. Believe me. It's so different from the days of my school, college, university and even my medical practice. Please give me those days.

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Anil

Oct 14, 2015 05:27pm

Good work by Aware Girls. We salute you. You deserve support from all.

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J Iqbal

Oct 14, 2015 05:57pm

Peshawar was splendid city to live and spend life in before 2005 but I feel Peshawar will rise again as it was always in the past 800 years. Good work girls, we are with you.

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zafar Iqbal

Oct 14, 2015 06:01pm

Every Pakistani should join these couragu sisters. Death the terrorists.

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Cyrus

Oct 14, 2015 06:44pm

If we don't have joy in our lives our lives are worth nothing.

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Nangyal

Oct 14, 2015 08:23pm

These bravest of women are like very few lamps in a deep dark jungle. May God keep these lamps, so that they keep lighting other lamps and bonfires until the jungle is bright and warm, and people can start singing the songs of joy, friendship and love again, Amen!

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Rocky

Oct 14, 2015 09:55pm

War against terrorism can't be won just by singing peace songs. The Talibs understand guns, killing only. So, they need to be sudued by guns. Of course, better education and jobs should serve to counter hate mongering by the frontier madrasahs.

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Jawad

Oct 14, 2015 11:15pm

Good, army can't do it alone they need public's help

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Jamal Khan

Oct 14, 2015 11:58pm

Peshawar is a prime example of the damage done by Pakistani involvement in Afghanistan since 1979. Today Peshawar is a polluted, overcrowded, crime and terrorism ridden city. It was very different in 1979. Meanwhile another province in Pakistan got all the aid.

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LTPEACE

Oct 15, 2015 12:08am

I feel saddened and sorry by looking at these pictures. Poor people caught in the cross fire of politics.

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AHA

Oct 15, 2015 12:23am

Highest respects for these brave women.

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Farhan

Oct 15, 2015 01:24am

These are the same Taliban whom our govt still want to be friend. Whom to trust?

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Changez_Khan

Oct 15, 2015 01:42am

Women rule.

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FL

Oct 15, 2015 02:00am

This is what the Taliban are doing to the country. Have Pakistani politicians like Imran Khan lost all sense of decency to support the Taliban and to do their power play politics and play to their egos, while the country needs SECURITY first and everyone coming together to stop these children being brainwashed into Taliban. Shame on you, IK!

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Iqbal

Oct 15, 2015 03:17am

So imran khan has failed in Peshawar. Good to know.

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PK

Oct 15, 2015 05:52am

Keep up good work .

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Agha Ata

Oct 15, 2015 06:27am

Taliban are the worst kind or men for anyone to deal with.

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Morning Lark

Oct 15, 2015 07:58am

Pakistan Govt and army should support aware girls in their campaigning against terrorists. Every citizen and army can counter boldly by joining their hands against bigotry prevailing in our dear homeland.

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JZ

Oct 15, 2015 09:59am

There is a face behind every case.

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Ranjit Jatar

Oct 15, 2015 10:42am

My heart goes out to the people in Peshawar. My grandfather was in the British army and he and my mother stayed in and near Peshawar before 1947. They spoke about the happy, smiling, cheerful and brave people. As an Indian, I wish that peace returns soon and the younger generation in these tribal areas get to see the softer side of life --music , poetry and the power of the internet where you can reach out to the world.

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zash

Oct 15, 2015 12:40pm

@Jamal Khan plz come out of this other province dilemma if you visit this other province you will know what it was like all the aid is given to these corrupt gov in this important time we must stand united

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Zohaib

Oct 15, 2015 02:07pm

Gullalai Ismail is an inspirational woman, her work is much needed and much appreciated!